New Horizon 2020 EURO SHOCK study sets out to improve the outcome for patients with cardiogenic shock

The new EURO SHOCK study is to receive € 6.5 million from the EU, to assess a new procedure of treatment approach for patients suffering cardiogenic shock. The project unites the foremost physicians in cardio-vascular medicine from across Europe, and is determined to become a bench-mark study on one of the few last challenges in this field. The ambition for EURO SHOCK is nothing less than to reduce the mortality associated with cardiogenic shock – a life threatening condition following a severe coronary heart attack.

Cardio-vascular diseases are responsible for more than 4 million deaths across Europe every year. Overall this type of disease is estimated to cost the European economy € 210 billion a year. Acute myocardial infarction, also more commonly known as heart attacks, evolve in about 10% of all cases into cardiogenic shock (in Europe 60.000-70.000 cases per year) with a 50% mortality rate in the first 30 days. This number is even higher in women and elderly patient groups.

Because of the substantial degree of heart muscle injury, patients with cardiogenic shock have 30% risk of re-occurring heart failure within one year. Despite the severity of this condition, little research has been conducted to improve treatment procedures.

Current interventions have been shown to have little impact on the outcomes after cardiogenic shock. Therefore, based on promising preliminary studies, EURO SHOCK researchers will perform a large-scale randomized clinical trial to assess if the use of a strategy based on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the acute phase of cardiogenic shock can stop the cycle of decline in patients and reduce cardiac mortality compared with the current standard of therapy. The new treatment procedure will be a supplement to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

In the randomised trial, researchers will not only test whether the up-front use of ECMO has an impact on the outcomes, but will also determine the cost effectiveness of this new procedure.

In this first large-scale study, physicians from twelve university and large public hospitals in seven European countries will be working closely together. Recruitment of patients will be undertaken through a hub and spokes network with more than 30 recruitment centres. The results of the study will proactively be used to contribute to standards, guidelines and clinical practices for treating patient with cardiogenic shock. Hereby EURO SHOCK also aims at raising the profile of need for future research into cardiogenic shock.

EURO SHOCK has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 754946. The project will begin in January 2018.